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Fish n Chips

My first order of the day, yesterday, was to hunt for 2 or 3 pieces of cutlery I dropped off the back of the boat the previous evening while washing them. A rogue wave (so to speak) had knocked things about while I was on the back step.

We were in about 20 feet of water. Going down with my scuba gear I discovered we were over fine mud and the visibility was only a few feet. Undaunted I collected some string and a long screw driver to drive into the ground so I could create a search pattern. I was down for nearly an hour but in the end I did have to abandon the search as I realised the swing of Dignity simply created too big a search area and there was a distinct possibility the cutlery was sitting just under the mud, impossible to see even if the water was crystal clear.

Later we moved Dignity back behind Hog Island to be in dinghy range of Clarks Court Marina where the Fish and Chips were to be sold in the evening. Although it doesn’t show on the google maps a new bridge joins Hog Island to the mainland. One used to be able sail between the two but not any more. This location is our best compromise. The alternatives would either have been to dinghy from where we were (too far in the dinghy) or to round Hog Island in Dignity (unnecessary extra distance).

We didn’t do a whole lot bar read for the day until it was time to go. At the marina we met a bunch of old faces. Devi & Hunter from Arctic Tern were there among others. Everyone we meet at the moment are on their way through, most of them laying up either here or in Trinidad. It will be interesting as the place fills up with those that are staying.

Today we’ll shift Dignity into Prickly Bay and go into town to look around. I may pick up a mobile phone so we can communicate while on the island. In the afternoon we have the Hash Hound Harriers event to attend. Devi and Hunter from Arctic Tern have intentions to go as well. They have been to events on other islands and said they’re a lot of fun.

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South of Latitude 12N

As planned, Helen was collected by Anne and went off to Yoga hosted by Devi from Arctic Tern. She came back looking all fresh and stretched having enjoyed herself. We hung around and did our calls before heading round the corner to Mt Hartman Bay where we anchored for the first time south of 12 degrees North (Helen looks at me weirdly on this point).

We had lunch then went ashore to look at Martin’s Marina and to have a walk around the peninsula that separates Prickly Bay and Mt Hartman Bay. Without a decent map we made a few wrong turns but got to see some interesting places and properties. We visited Prickly Bay Marina too which saves us taking Dignity there which we may have done tomorrow.

Our walk took us to the very end of the peninsular to Prickly Point where the fancy houses gave way to a small bit of rugged land.

One of the more interesting places we saw on the way back was a yellow castle like home. It would be cool to live in a place like that.

Tomorrow we have one more marina to look at. We’re pretty sure we’ll anchor Dignity in Prickly Bay while we’re in New Jersey. However, when we return we’re due to get our upgrade on the control board and we need a marina for a night or two. Where this will be we haven’t decided. After tomorrow we’ll have seen them all and can decide.

Tomorrow night we’re almost certain to go back to Clark’s Court Bay for their Fish and Chips evening. On Saturday there is a Grenada Hash House Harriers event planned. I hadn’t heard of the Hash Harriers before but it’s world wide. It seems to be a casual Rotary Club aimed at runners/walkers who like a beer or three. They describe themselves as drinkers with a running problem. Despite all this it is a family thing. Apart from the fact this seems to be right up our alley, this will be a good way to meet some of the indigenous population. They have a walk/run planned for Saturday afternoon so we reckon we’ll join them. They have an open invite on the VHF net every morning so we should be more than welcome.

Burger Night Out

This was a lot of fun. Got to meet a bunch of folks who are either settling in for the summer or preparing to leave the Caribbean for the summer season. We bumped into the folks from Mimi and Catalyst who we last saw in Carriacou and ate our burger & fries with them. Another inexpensive night out all reinforcing our belief summer will be a lot of fun here. We bumped into Devi and Hunter from Artic Tern who we last saw on the beach in the Tobago Cays. We recognised some from last Sunday’s beach BBQ and no doubt some more of the faces will be known over time. Anne & Jim from Bees Knees were there but we all managed to find time for everyone else.

The cooks, Rene & Cherryl, who are cruisers helping out also run a fish & chips night every other Friday. If we don’t make this coming Friday we must make the one in two weeks time.

As ever, when we’re having the most fun I forget to take photos. Oops.

Today we have some calls to make and make our last on line orders for things to collect in NJ. In a few minutes Helen will be off with Anne for yoga at Clark’s Court Bay Marina hosted by Devi from Arctin Tern. Later we will move the boat to explore more of the possibilities to the west of us. Today we’ll certainly look at Mt Harmon Bay where we may stop for the night. To the west of that is Prickly Bay which is a real cruiser hub and there’s also True Blue Bay which has some moorings we could possibly use too.

Fun in the Cays

We had a great time yesterday. The day started with some serious relaxing and not doing much bar read our books and marvel at where we are. The tidal range here is less than 2 feet but it makes a lot of difference. At 7am yesterday morning we had the high, high tide of the day which meant the waves were making it over the reef and making things choppy. So it was a case of waiting it out – waiting for it to calm.

We agreed with Jim and Anne to go and explore and snorkel around Petit Tabac around 10am. This involved dingying out through a small cut in the reef and making our way over boisterous water to the calm waters surrounding Petit Tabac. Ashore we walked all around the island. On one side it was fine sand (closer to what you see in the movie) and on the windward side the shore comprised rock and, mainly, broken coral. We then took the the crystal clear waters and snorkeled together. We found the current a little strong so we broke of the snorkel and dinghied back inside the main reef to continue our snorkel towing the dinghies along with us. Here, in more crystal clear water, we saw more marine life including turtles in the reserve area.

In the afternoon Helen and I dinghied over to one of the cays called Jamesby. We climbed to the summit to take in the view and, of course, take pictures. Even though the cay had one smallish beach we found we could walk all the way round often on smoothed over rocks walking under rocky overhangs. As we rounded each corner many crab would be disturbed and scuttle off to find cover.

At 5pm we again met up with Jim and Anne and four from another boat the Bees Knees knew, Arctic Tern. They were Devie, Hunter, Jay and Deb – the first two being the boat owners, aboard for three years already, and the latter two friends/guests. They were all National Park folk from Alaska and very interesting people. We hung around watching the sunset from the beach on Baradel, another Cay. As it got dark we all headed back to our boats with Bees Knees coming over to ours for evening meal. We finished off the Tuna Curry as well as a vege curry Anne had made.

Today we’ll hang around the Cays again. More snorkeling and more island exploring is in order.